The path to drug addiction begins with the voluntary act of taking drugs. But over time, a person's ability to choose not to do so becomes compromised. Seeking and taking the drug becomes compulsive. This is mostly due to the effects of long-term drug exposure on brain function. Addiction affects parts of the brain involved in reward and motivation, learning and memory, and control over behavior.
This resource page will provide you with everything you need to know, from alcohol treatment centers and payment options, differences between inpatient and outpatient programs, finding an alcohol treatment center, and taking the first steps toward sobriety and recovery. If you’re here seeking information for a friend or family member, we’ve also included resources on how to help a friend or family member, along with intervention strategies.
Before entering a rehab facility, patients may have to undergo detox treatment. Detox is the process in which a patient rids his or her body of the addictive substance. From start to finish, this process varies in length, but often takes about a week. As part of a medical detox program, recovering patients will be monitored by doctors and nurses and given medications to manage withdrawal, when appropriate. Once a patient completes detox, he or she is ready for rehab. We recommend residential treatment for people who need specialised therapy for the simple fact that specialisation is not always available in an outpatient setting. Outpatient treatment programmes tend to be more generic in nature, while residential treatment is more tailored to the individual. In short, we recommend residential treatment to anyone who needs specialised care and individualised therapy.
Research has identified differences in how the reward center of the brain responds to alcohol in heavy and light drinkers. In either group, alcohol caused the release of naturally occurring feel-good endorphins in the two brain regions linked to reward processing. Once addicted, alcohol withdrawal presents dangerous physical and psychological issues.9
Once you complete the rehabilitation stage, you will begin to gradually acclimate yourself to daily life. It’s important to give yourself time to ease back into the swing of things. Attending support groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Al-Anon, that offer encouragement and engagement with others in recovery, group leaders and sponsors can be a positive way to make a lifestyle change and maintain sobriety.

Problem drinking soon progresses to physical dependency. At this stage, you have probably developed a tolerance to alcohol and require more of it to feel the same level of enjoyment as before. This increased consumption can cause your body to get used to alcohol. When you are not using it, or the effects begin to wear off, you will experience physical withdrawal symptoms such as a rapid heartbeat, sweating, tremors, and nausea. Alcohol Detox Treatment

Alcohol is a legal controlled substance that slows down the body’s vital functions when consumed in excess. Its many forms include beer, wine and liquor. Some of the physical effects of heavy alcohol consumption are slurred speech, loss of coordination and slowed reaction time. Psychological effects include inhibiting judgment and lowering a person’s ability to think rationally. Typically, drinking alcohol in moderation does not signify a problem. However, consuming more than four alcoholic beverages per day for men – or more than three per day for women – can indicate an alcohol use disorder (AUD).
People who may benefit especially from secondary care include those who have completed treatment at rehab but do not yet feel physically or mentally prepared to reintegrate fully into day-to-day life with all its attendant stresses and pressures. Secondary care facilities are not typically as strictly monitored and secure as rehab itself, but those living on site at such a facility need to abide by certain rules – most importantly, staying clean and sober for the duration of their stay. Drug Rehabilitation Center LocatorFor some people, secondary care is an essential phase between intensive treatment and rehab and a full return to normal life; this is especially likely to be the case if an addict’s home environment is dysfunctional or challenging in other ways, and the addict does not yet feel robust enough in their recovery to deal with those challenges as well as the ongoing challenge of staying drug-free. Alcohol Detox Centers Near Me Detox From Alcohol

Denial can be an obstacle to recovery because it can prevent you from seeing the truth of your situation. If you are practicing denial, you can continue with your addictive behaviour without consequence or responsibility for your actions. If it is strong enough, it can be projected to your family members and friends, who will then also be convinced that your problem is either not as bad as it seems or is something else entirely.

In many cases, symptoms of the mental health disorder appear first. As they become more and more overwhelming, the patient may attempt to “treat” those symptoms by using different drugs. For example, a patient who struggles with depression may attempt to improve their mood by taking heroin or prescription drugs. Patients who are living with anxiety may try to calm themselves by smoking marijuana. Conversely, someone dealing with an eating disorder may attempt to further their weight loss attempts by abusing stimulant drugs like cocaine or crystal meth.
Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use despite adverse consequences.† It is considered a brain disorder, because it involves functional changes to brain circuits involved in reward, stress, and self-control, and those changes may last a long time after a person has stopped taking drugs.11
What happens in the brain during alcohol withdrawal? GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is the main calming neurotransmitter of the brain. GABA and adrenaline are supposed to be in balance during normal brain functioning. Frequent drinking causes the brain to produce less GABA, because the brain begins to rely on alcohol for part of its calming. So, frequent drinking causes your brain chemistry to be out of balance with an excess of adrenaline. When you suddenly stop drinking, your brain doesn’t have enough GABA neurotransmitter to balance the excess of adrenaline, which causes withdrawal symptoms.
Acamprosate, disulfiram and topiramate (a novel anticonvulsant sulphonated sugar) are also used to treat alcohol addiction. Acamprosate has shown effectiveness for patients with severe dependence, helping them to maintain abstinence for several weeks, even months.[13] Disulfiram (also called Antabuse) produces a very unpleasant reaction when drinking alcohol that includes flushing, nausea and palpitations. It is more effective for patients with high motivation and some addicts use it only for high-risk situations.[14] Patients who wish to continue drinking or may be likely to relapse, should not take disulfiram as it can result in the disulfiram-alcohol reaction mentioned previously, which is very serious and can even be fatal[13]
Many substance abuse treatment centers are affordable, or even free, for some clients. Many communities offer free counseling or rehab drug treatment. These types of programs usually take place at outpatient drug rehab centers. For affordable inpatient and outpatient care, utilizing an insurance provider can help you cover the cost of rehab. Many insurance plans cover substance abuse treatment completely. Speak with your insurance provider, or a representative from a potential program to find more details. The Recovery Village accepts a variety of insurance plans and works with clients to develop payment plans so they can make healing a priority. The Recovery Village’s insurance verification tool can help you narrow down your options.

Internationally, the U.S. and Eastern Europe are the countries with the highest substance abuse disorder occurrence (5-6%). Africa, Asia, and the Middle East were countries with the lowest worldwide occurrence (1-2%). Across the globe, those that tended to have a higher prevalence of substance dependence were in their twenties, unemployed, and men.[42] The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reports on substance dependence/abuse rates in various population demographics across the U.S. When surveying populations based on race and ethnicity in those ages 12 and older, it was observed that American Indian/Alaskan Natives were among the highest rates and Asians were among the lowest rates in comparison to other racial/ethnic groups.[43]

One study tracked the weekly drug use among individuals who attended residential treatment centers. After one year post discharge they discovered that there is a correlation between retention rates and the length of stay at a facility. Individuals coming form programs of 90 days or more showed a lower relapse rate than those coming from programs of less than 90 days. Drug Addiction : How to Help Someone with a Meth Addiction

Alcohol rehab is often the only way that an individual who’s struggling with addiction can get help. There are rehab centers all over the country that offer individualized programs to treat alcoholism, regardless of how long the disease has been present. Alcohol treatment programs take many factors into consideration, including the person’s age and gender, and the extent and length of the addiction. Many alcohol rehab centers also offer various aftercare options and recommendations to help clients maintain their sobriety, such as group therapy.
According to the NIAAA, relapse is common among those who are recovering from alcohol addiction. Without aftercare (the final step in the rehab process), relapses may escalate from a small setback, to a total return into alcohol abuse and dependence. The most commonly-known form of aftercare is Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), but there are many other options that are outlined below.
For example, someone with bipolar disorder that suffers from alcoholism would have dual diagnosis (manic depression + alcoholism). In such occasions, two treatment plans are needed with the mental health disorder requiring treatment first. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 45 percent of people with addiction have a co-occurring mental health disorder.
^ Robison AJ, Nestler EJ (October 2011). "Transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms of addiction". Nature Reviews. Neuroscience. 12 (11): 623–37. doi:10.1038/nrn3111. PMC 3272277. PMID 21989194. ΔFosB has been linked directly to several addiction-related behaviors ... Importantly, genetic or viral overexpression of ΔJunD, a dominant negative mutant of JunD which antagonizes ΔFosB- and other AP-1-mediated transcriptional activity, in the NAc or OFC blocks these key effects of drug exposure14,22–24. This indicates that ΔFosB is both necessary and sufficient for many of the changes wrought in the brain by chronic drug exposure. ΔFosB is also induced in D1-type NAc MSNs by chronic consumption of several natural rewards, including sucrose, high fat food, sex, wheel running, where it promotes that consumption14,26–30. This implicates ΔFosB in the regulation of natural rewards under normal conditions and perhaps during pathological addictive-like states. Alcohol Poisoning Treatment ► What Is The Best Solution?When it’s time to take action, finding the right drug rehab facility can become a daunting task. Most people turn to the internet with search engine inquiries like “rehab centers near me” or “local drug rehab.” Finding a center close by can be helpful, but your search may also offer results for programs that require travel. Inpatient drug rehab centers away from home can offer more opportunities for healing in a new environment.
Many treatment plans begin with a detoxification program to help break your body’s physical addiction to alcohol. Detoxification is often performed in an inpatient therapy treatment center or hospital. It typically takes one week to complete. Because the symptoms of physical withdrawal can be dramatic, you may also be given medications to help prevent:
Drug addiction, also called substance use disorder, is a disease that affects a person's brain and behavior and leads to an inability to control the use of a legal or illegal drug or medication. Substances such as alcohol, marijuana and nicotine also are considered drugs. When you're addicted, you may continue using the drug despite the harm it causes.

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